Tanning bed

ABSTRACT

Tanning bed apparatus is provided for providing a person with an artificial sun tan. The apparatus includes a lower tanning unit and an upper tanning unit that is moveable between an open and a closed position where the units together form a tanning chamber. A first longitudinally extending edge of the lower tanning unit is positioned lower than the vertical center of the tanning chamber to ease the task of entering and exiting the chamber. A second longitudinally extending edge of the lower tanning unit includes at least one tanning bulb that is positioned at or above the vertical center of the chamber to eliminate uneven tanning along one longitudinally extending edge of the user. At least one tanning bulb in the first longitudinally extending edge of the upper tanning unit is positioned at or below the vertical center of the chamber to eliminate uneven tanning along the opposite longitudinally extending edges of the user. The upper tanning unit includes two rows of tanning bulbs positioned in a staggered configuration that reduces the time required to achieve the desired level of tanning.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/544,269,filed Oct. 17, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,437.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus for artificially tanning aperson. According to one aspect of the invention, the tanning apparatusis configured for more effectively tanning the sides of a person and foreasy access. According to another aspect of the invention, the tanningapparatus is provided with specially arranged ultraviolet lamps forproviding an enhanced radiation energy source.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tanning beds making use of artificial ultra violet light are verypopular, especially in the winter months when a natural tan can not bereadily acquired and particularly in those areas where the summertanning season is relatively short. Many tanning operators own a numberof tanning beds for rent to the public. The length of time that a usermust stay in the tanning chamber to achieve a desired tanning affect isa limiting factor on how often the beds can be rented and thus has adirect impact on profits.

A typical tanning bed has an upper tanning unit and a lower tanning unitconnected by hinges so that the upper unit can be opened and a closed ina manner analogous to a clamshell. In the open position, a person canenter the apparatus to lie down on the lower tanning unit In the closedposition the units form an internal tanning chamber where the person tobe tanned is partially surrounded by tanning lamps. The upper unit has arow of lamps that are intended to tan the upwardly facing parts of theperson, and the lower unit has a row of lamps that are intended to tanthe downwardly facing parts of the person.

A problem that is often encountered in prior art devices is uneventanning along a users' sides that arises because of a break in the lampdistribution at the sides of the chamber where the upper and lowertanning units meet when in the closed position. In a typical tanningbed, the upper and lower units meet on opposite sides of the tanningchamber near the vertical center of the chamber. Consequently, the usercannot eliminate the uneven tan by a method such as periodicallyalternating from lying on his or her back and stomach.

Another problem with typical tanning beds is that the upper tanningunit, when in the closed position, must provide a reasonable amount ofroom above the person lying in the bed. However, providing the overheadspace requires that the lamps in the upper tanning unit be positionedfarther away from the person than the lamps in the lower tanning unit.The overhead space decreases the amount of tanning radiation thatreaches the upwardly facing parts of a person, which increases the timerequired to achieve a desired level of exposure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a tanning bed is provided thatcomprises an upper tanning unit and a lower tanning unit positioned on abase. The lower tanning unit has a lower radiation source positionedbetween a first longitudinally extending edge on one side of the lowerunit and a second longitudinally extending edge on the opposite side ofthe lower unit. An upper tanning unit has an upper radiation source thatis similarly positioned between a first longitudinally extending edge onone side of the upper unit and a second longitudinally extending edge onthe opposite side of the upper unit.

The upper tanning unit is connected to the base by a hinge mechanism andis moveable between an open and a closed position. A user accesses thetanning bed by ascending over the first longitudinal edge of the lowerunit when the upper unit is in the open position. In the closed positionthe upper and lower tanning units face each other and form a tanningchamber with the first and second longitudinal edges of the uppertanning unit positioned adjacent the first and second longitudinal edgesof the lower tanning unit, respectively.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the first longitudinaledge of the lower tanning unit is positioned below the centerline of thetanning chamber to provide for easy entry and access into the tanningchamber. When in the closed position, at least one tanning lamp ispositioned near the vertical center of one side of the tanning chamber,and at least one tanning lamp is positioned near the vertical center onthe opposite side of the tanning chamber to eliminate uneven tanningalong the user's sides. According to a second aspect of the invention,the upper tanning unit is provided with an upper radiation sourcecomprising a first row and a second row of tanning lamps that maycomprise a higher output. The lamps are positioned in a staggeredarrangement that minimizes the reflection and refraction losses of theradiation emitted from the lamps in the second row. The second row oflamps and the staggered arrangement result in a higher level of tanningradiation that reaches the upwardly facing parts of the person, therebyreducing the time required to achieve the desired level of exposure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawing is incorporated into and forms a part of thespecification to illustrate at least one presently most preferredembodiment of the present invention. The figures of the drawing togetherwith the written description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. The drawing is only for the purpose of illustrating examplesof how the invention can be made and used and is not to be construed aslimiting the invention to only the illustrated and described examples.The various advantages and features of the present invention will beapparent from consideration of the written description with the drawing,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment with the uppertanning unit in open position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment with the uppertanning unit in a closed position;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the upper tanning unit showing thedetailed spacing configuration of the tanning bulbs and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the inventionwherein the lower tan lamps and a second row of tanning lamps.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a view ofthe preferred embodiment of the tanning bed that is generally referredto by the reference numeral 10. The tanning bed 10 is shown in an openposition and comprises a base 12, a lower tanning unit 14, and an uppertanning unit 16.

The base 12 supports the lower tanning unit 14 and the upper tanningunit 16. The base can have any suitable configuration such as theconfiguration generally shown in FIG. 1 and houses conventional hardware(not shown) that is used to power radiation sources in the upper andlower tanning units 14 and 16. A timer 18 can be affixed to the tanningbed 10, if desired, where it is readily accessible to the user tocontrol the operation of the tanning bed.

The lower tanning unit 14 has an outer wall 20, an inner wall 22, a pairof oppositely disposed ends 24 and 26, a first longitudinally extendingedge 28, and a second longitudinally extending edge 29. The outer wall20 is mounted directly to the base 12. The inner wall 22 includes anupwardly facing, concave sheet 30 of ultra violet transmissive material.The term "transmissive material" as used herein refers to materials thatwill allow most or all of the type of radiation used in the tanning bedto be transmitted through it A preferred transmissive material isacrylic.

The upper tanning unit 16 has an outer wall 32, an inner wall 34, a pairof oppositely disposed ends 36 and 38, a first longitudinally extendingedge 40, and a second longitudinally extending edge 42. The outer wall32 is mounted to a pair of hinge arms 46a and 46b that allows the uppertanning unit 16 to move between an open position and a closed position.The ends 36 and 38 and longitudinal edges 40 and 42 on the upper tanningunit 16 have the same lengths as the corresponding ends 24 and 26 andlongitudinal edges 28 and 29 on the lower tanning unit 14. The innerwall 34 comprises a concave sheet 48 of transmissive material to shieldthe ultra violet lamps from the user, and to prevent the user from beinginjured in the event of a broken lamp.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment in the openposition. The lower tanning unit 14 is mounted directly to the base 12using any conventional fastening device. The upper tanning unit 16 isconnected to the base 12 by hinge arms 46a and 46b using anyconventional fastening device. The hinge arms 46a and 46b are part ofthe hinge mechanism 50, which can be any device that permits the uppertanning unit 16 to move between an open and a closed position. Anexample of a suitable hinge mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Letters Pat.No. 5,370,673, issued to Gary P. Angelo on Dec. 6, 1994, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The lower tanning unit 14 comprises a cross member 52, a lamp chamber54, a first extruded rail 56a and a second extruded rail 56b. In thepreferred embodiment the lamp chamber 54 houses a row of tanning lamps60, for example lamps 60a-60t that function as a radiation source. Thelower tanning unit 14 is assembled by securing the first extruded rail56a to the cross member mounting bracket 62a of the cross member 52 andthe second extruded rail 56b to the cross member mounting bracket 62b ofthe cross member 52 using any conventional means. The first edge 64a andsecond edge 64b of the concave sheet 30 are secured to the extrudedrails by mounting strips 66 and 67.

Longitudinal edge 28 on first extruded rail 56a includes a center point69 positioned at an angle α below the horizontal centerline 68. In thepreferred embodiment, the angle α measures from about 15° to about 45°,with about 15° to about 25° being more preferred, and with about 17.5°being most preferred. The extruded rail 56a is thus positioned in thelower right quadrant (referred to as the access quadrant hereafter) ofthe tanning bed 10. The extruded rail 56a is positioned in the accessquadrant to ease the difficulty of ascending over the first longitudinaledge 28 when entering and exiting the tanning bed 10.

In the presently most preferred embodiment, longitudinal edge 29 onsecond extruded rail 56b includes a center point 74 positioned at anangle β above the horizontal centerline 68. The center point 74 ispositioned this way to ensure that at least one tanning bulb (60t forexample) can be positioned within about 5° of the centerline 68, andmore preferably located on the centerline. In the preferred embodimentthe angle β measures from about 15° to about 45°, with about 15° toabout 25° being more preferred, and with about 17.5° being mostpreferred. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the angle β isequal to angle α which positions the center point 69 on extruded rail56a. When the angles α and β are equal, some of the geometrical featureson the upper and lower tanning units 16 and 14 are the same or similar,which can reduce tooling and manufacturing costs.

According to a further embodiment, the angle β can measure up to about90° above the centerline. In such an embodiment, the row of tanninglamps 60 will include additional lamps (not shown) with at least onelamp positioned within 5° of the centerline 68, and more preferably onthe centerline as hereinbefore described. According to anotherembodiment, the angle β can measure up to about 45° below the centerline68. In such an embodiment, at least one lamp in the upper tanning unit16 is positioned within 5° of centerline 68, and more preferably on thecenterline, as will be described hereafter.

The cross member 52 extends from the first extruded rail 56a to thesecond extruded rail 56b and provides structural support and rigidityfor the lower tanning unit 14. The cross member 52 is sturdy enough tosupport the weight of the user along with any weight from the uppertanning unit 16 that may be applied to the lower unit 14 in the eventthe upper unit rests on the lower unit when in the closed position. Thecross member 52 has an outer wall 20 that is attached to the base 12 andan inner wall 78 that also forms part of the lamp chamber 54.

The lamp chamber 54 accommodates a row of tanning lamps 60 havingtanning lamps 60a-60t and is enclosed by the first extruded rail 56a,the second extruded rail 56b, inner wall 78, and concave acrylic sheet30. The inner wall 78 includes a surface 78a facing the lamp chamber 54that is reflective to the type of radiation emitted from the tanninglamps. Since a person using the tanning bed 10 will lie on the concavesheet 30, the sheet material is one that will support the weight of theuser. The sheet 30 can be structurally reinforced by aluminum supports(also constructed of reflector material) 80a-80e to transmit weightapplied to the sheet 30 into the inner wall 78a on the cross member 52.The lamp chamber 54 may comprise a plurality of individual lamp chassissections, for example, sections 81a-81f, if desired.

The lamp chamber 54 has a width defined by the centerline 82 thatextends between the first and second extruded rails 56a and 56b, and adepth 84 defined by the distance between the inner wall 78 and theconcave sheet 30. The depth of the chamber 54 is sufficient toaccommodate the diameter of a 100 watt high output tanning lamp, and thelength is sufficient to accommodate the desired number of lamps. In thepreferred embodiment, the width accommodates twenty (20) 100 watt highoutput tanning lamps 60a-60t. The lamps are all preferably low pressurefluorescent and produce ultraviolet radiation between the range of 280to 400 nanometers. The lamps are positioned on centerline 82 with lamps60a-60o spaced from about 3° to about 5° apart on about a 31 to 32 inchradius and with lamps 60p-60t spaced from about 14° to about 17° aparton about a 7 to 8 inch radius. This spacing will leave at least a"finger width" distance between the tanning lamps to facilitate graspingthe lamps during installation and removal. The lamps extend over most ofthe distance between oppositely disposed ends 24 and 26 of the lowertanning unit 14 (see FIG. 1), and the ends of the lamps (not shown) aremechanically and electrically connected to the lower tanning unit 14using conventional lampholders.

The upper tanning unit comprises a cross member 90, a lamp chamber 92, afirst extruded rail 94a, and a second extruded rail 94b. In thepreferred embodiment the lamp chamber 92 houses a first row of tanninglamps 96 and a second row of tanning lamps 98, both of which function asa radiation source. The upper tanning unit 16 is assembled by securingthe first and second extruded rails 94a and 94b to the first and secondends 100a and 100b of cross member 90 using any conventional means, andby securing the first and second edges 102a and 102b of the concavesheet 48 to the extruded rails 94a and 94b.

Referring to FIG. 3, longitudinal edge 40 on first extruded rail 94aincludes a center point 106 positioned at an angle μ below thehorizontal centerline 68. In the preferred embodiment, the angle μmeasures from about 15° to about 45°, with about 15° to about 25° beingmore preferred, and with about 17.5° being most preferred. The firstextruded rail 94a is positioned below the horizontal centerline 68 toensure that at least one tanning bulb (96a for example) in the first rowof lamps 96 will be positioned at or below the horizontal centerline 68.

Longitudinally extending edge 42 on second extruded rail 94b includes acenter point 112 positioned at an angle δ above the horizontalcenterline 68. In the preferred embodiment the angle measures from about15° to about 45°, with about 15° to about 25° being more preferred, andwith about 17.5° being most preferred. Locating the second extruded rail94b above the centerline 68 permits the second extruded rail 56b oflower tanning unit 14 to also be located above the centerline 68 thuspositioning at least one tanning bulb (64t for example) within 5° of thecenterline 68, and more preferably on the centerline 68.

According to further embodiments, the center point 112 can be positionedfrom about 45° in the lower left quadrant to about 90° in the upper leftquadrant. This positioning corresponds to the similar positioning ofcenter point 74 on extruded rail 56b in previously describedembodiments. When the center point 112 is positioned below thecenterline 68, the row of tanning lamps 96 will include additional lamps(not shown) with at least one lamp positioned within about 5° of thecenterline 68, and more preferably on the centerline 68.

Cross member 90 includes an outer wall 32, and an inner wall 116, andextends from the first extruded rail 94a to the second extruded rail 94bto provide structural support and rigidity for the upper tanning unit16. The outer wall 32 is attached to the hinge arms 46a and 46b. Thehinge arms 46a and 46b support the upper tanning unit 16 above the lowertanning unit 14 with the concave sheets 30 and 48 facing each other todefine a tanning chamber 118. The longitudinally extending edges 40 and66 on first extruded rails 56a and 94a are adjacent each other and areseparated by a nominal gap 120, and the longitudinally extending edges42 and 72 on second extruded rails 56b and 94b are similarly adjacenteach other and are separated by a nominal gap 122. The inner wall 116includes five sections 116a-116e that also form part of the lamp chamber92.

The lamp chamber 92 is enclosed by the extruded rails 94a and 94b,sections 116a-116e of inner wall 116, and concave sheet 48. The sides ofsections 116a-116e facing the lamp chamber 92 are reflective to the typeof radiation emitted from the tanning lamps. The lamp chamber 92 isdivided into a first section 124 that contains a first row of tanningbulbs 96 and a second section 126 that contains a second row of tanningbulbs 98. The lamps are preferably low pressure fluorescent and produceultraviolet radiation between the range of 280 to 400 nanometers. Thelamps extend over most of the distance between oppositely disposed ends36 and 38 on the upper tanning unit 116 (see FIG. 1), and the ends ofthe lamps (not shown) are mechanically and electrically connected to theupper tanning unit 16 using conventional lampholders.

The first section 124 of the lamp chamber 92 has a width defined by thecenterline 128 that extends from one extruded rail 94a to the secondextruded rail 94b and a depth defined by the distance between inner wallsections 116f and 116g and the concave sheet 48. The depth of thechamber is sufficient to accommodate a T12 100 or T12 160 watt highoutput tanning lamp, and the width is sufficient to accommodate thedesired number of lamps. Referring back to FIG. 2, the preferred widthaccommodates a row of lamps 96 having twenty (20) T12 100 or T12 160watt tanning lamps positioned on the centerline 128 with lamps (96a-96o)spaced from about 3° to about 5° apart on about a 31 to 32 inch radiusand lamps (96p-96t) spaced from about 14° to about 17° apart on about a7 to 8 inch radius.

The second section 126 of the lamp chamber 92 has a width defined by thecenterline 132 that extends between the inner wall portions 116b and116d, and a depth defined by the same inner wall sections. The width issufficient to accommodate the desired number of lamps. In the preferredembodiment, the width accommodates a row of lamps 98 having a desirednumber of T12 100 or T12 160 watt high output tanning lamps 98a-98lpositioned on centerline 132 and spaced from about 3° to about 5° aparton about a 32 to 33 inch radius. In the preferred embodiment the lamps98a-98l depend slightly into the first section 124. The relative spacingof the lamps in the lamp chamber 92 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The lamps98a-98l in the second row of lamps 98 are positioned above and arecentered between the lamps 96a-96t in the first row of lamps 96. Thisstaggered arrangement of the lamps minimizes the diffraction andrefraction losses of the ultraviolet energy added to the tanning bed bythe second row of lamps 98. The first and second row center lines 128and 132 are separated by a distance 134 that measures 1.25 to 1.75inches in the preferred embodiment. The center to center spacing 136between lamps on the same centerline is 2.0-2.5 inches in the preferredembodiment.

To use the invention, a person first moves the upper tanning unit 16 tothe open position. Since the first extruded rail 56a is positioned belowthe horizontal centerline 68, the person can enter the tanning chamber118 with little or no difficulty, such as by first sitting on theconcave sheet 30 and then moving to a prone position. The person thenmoves the upper tanning unit 16 to the closed position and begins thetanning session, which can be performed more rapidly due to theincreased ultraviolet output of the staggered tanning lamps.Furthermore, since at least one tanning lamp is positioned at or nearthe horizontal centerline 68 on each side of the tanning chamber 118,the person will receive an even distribution of radiation and an eventan along their sides. The person can alternate from lying on his/herstomach to his/her back during the tanning session or from one tanningsession to the next to further ensure an even tan.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a tanning bed 210according to the invention is shown. The tanning bed 210 issubstantially the same as the tanning bed 10 previously described hereinand includes a lower tanning unit 214 having a first row of tanninglamps 260 and a second row of tanning lamps 261. The first row oftanning lamps 260 and the second row of tanning lamps 261 are staggeredwith respect to each other.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, other embodiments can achieve the same results. Othervariations and modifications of the present invention will be apparentto those skilled in the art and can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed:
 1. Apparatus for artificially tanning a personsupported in a lying position, the apparatus comprising:a lowerplurality of ultraviolet lamps supported for tanning the person frombelow; an upper tanning unit having oppositely disposed ends andlongitudinally extending edges, the upper tanning unit having an upperplurality of ultraviolet lamps supported for tanning the person fromabove, wherein the upper plurality of ultraviolet lamps are arranged ina first row of longitudinally extending ultraviolet lamps and a secondrow of longitudinally extending ultraviolet lamps, the first and secondrows positioned to extend over most of the distance between theoppositely disposed ends of the upper tanning unit.
 2. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet lamps in the first row arestaggered with respect to the ultraviolet lamps in the second row. 3.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper plurality ofultraviolet lamps are supported a greater distance from the person thanthe lower plurality of ultraviolet lamps, whereby an overhead space isprovided for the person.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, whereinthe ultraviolet lamps in the first row are staggered with respect to theultraviolet lamps in the second row.
 5. The apparatus according to claim1, wherein each of the ultraviolet lamps in each of the first and secondrows are spaced apart about a finger width to facilitate grasping thelamps during installation and removal.
 6. The apparatus according to anyone of claims 1-3, wherein the lower plurality of ultraviolet lamps aresupported in a lower tanning unit having oppositely disposed ends andlongitudinally extending edges.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6,wherein the lower plurality of ultraviolet lamps are arranged in atleast one row positioned to extend longitudinally over most of thedistance between the oppositely disposed ends of the lower tanning unit.8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the lower tanning unithas an upwardly-facing generally concave shape for supporting andcradling the person in a lying position thereon and helping in exposingthe sides of the person to the ultraviolet light sources of the lowertanning unit.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the lowertanning unit further comprises an upwardly-facing generally concavesheet of ultraviolet light transmissive material that is structurallysupported for supporting the weight of the person and shielding theultraviolet lamps from the person.
 10. The apparatus according to claim8, wherein the lower plurality of ultraviolet lamps are arranged in atleast one upwardly-facing, generally concave row positioned to extendlongitudinally over most of the distance between the oppositely disposedends of the lower tanning unit.
 11. The apparatus according to any oneof claims 1-3, wherein the upper tanning unit is pivotally supported,whereby the upper tanning unit can be moved between an open position forallowing the person to enter or exit the apparatus and a closed positionfor tanning the person.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe upper tanning unit has a downwardly-facing generally concave shapefor helping in exposing the sides of the person to the ultraviolet lampsof the upper tanning unit.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 12,wherein the upper tanning unit further comprises a downwardly-facinggenerally concave sheet of ultraviolet light transmissive material forshielding the ultraviolet lamps from the person.
 14. The apparatusaccording to claim 12, wherein the upper plurality of ultraviolet lampsare arranged in downwardly-facing, generally concave rows.